Bag-filling machine.



B. F. BROWN.

BAG FILLING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 21, 1910.

1,069,848o Patented A g. 12, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A 1 er; 'cawmf'jilluvf/ WW 7 COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON. n. c.

B. F. BROWN.

BAG FILLING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 21, 1910.

1,069,848., Patented Aug. 12, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHXNGTON, D. c.

BENJAMIN F. BROWN, OF FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO BROWN BAGFILLING MACHINE COMPANY, OF FITCHBUBG, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OFMASSACHUSETTS.

BAG-FILLING IlIAOI-IINE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. BROWN, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Fitchburg, county ofWorcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement inBag-Filling Machines, of which the following description, in connectionwith the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters onthe drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to an improvement in a bag-filling machine inwhich fiat paper bags or envelops are placed in a stack and fed forwardto a bag filling mechanism. Such a machine is exemplified by the patentto Cummings No. 539,171, granted May 14, 1895, or by the patent toRulison No. 936,169, granted October 5, 1909.

In machines of this type the bag-presenting mechanism comprises agenerally horizontally-arranged guide-box of a more or less skeletonform in which the bagsare placed vertically, and in which they areforced toward the open or discharge end of the guide-box by a follower.It is common in machines of this type to provide for a bodily movementof the guide-box just prior to the opening of the bag to be filled and aretraction of the guide-box during, or after, the filling of the bag toaid in the removal of the endmost bag from the guide-box.

The follower carried by the guide-box is usually pressed forward withrespect to the guide box by a weight connected therewith. In the case ofa machine like that shown in the Cummings patent the movement of theguide-box disturbs the action of the follower and, heretofore, hasreduced the pressure of the weight upon the follower at the time when itis most needed.

The present invention provides a means for securing continual pressureof the weight upon the follower and an increase of the effectivepressure each time the guide-box is given its bodily movement. It alsosecures the momentary release or diminution of pressure upon thefollower at the time of the retraction of the guide-boX to cause thedisengagement of the bag.

The invention will more fully appear from the accompanying descriptionand drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

The drawings in Figures 1 and 2 show so much of a machine of the typeshown in the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 12,1913.

Serial No. 550,577.

said patent to Cummings, 539,171, and in Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive, so muchof a machine of the type shown in the said patent to Rulison, 936,169,as is necessary to disclose in connection therewith the presentinvention.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a bag-fillingmachine of the type shown in the said Cummings patent with theimprovements of this invention added thereto; Fig. 2 is a top plan viewpartially in cross section of the base plate, follower plate, and otherparts of the machine; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of abag-filling machine of the type shown in the said Rulison patent withthe improvements of this invention added thereto; Fig. 4: is a top planview of portions of the machine shown in Fig. 3; Figs. 5 and 6 aredetail views illustrating the means for adjusting one of the cord guidesor pulleys shown in Fig. 3.

Referring first to the construction of the machine shown in the saidCummings patent it will be seen that a portion of the frame of thebag-filling machine is shown at 1, and it is unnecessary to show any ofthe details of the bag-filling and other mechanisms of the machine notspecifically involved herein. These mechanisms may be of any suitabletype, such, for example, as shown in the said Cummings patent.

The bag-presenting mechanism by which the stack of bags is presented soas to place the endmost bag of the stack in position to be filled isshown as of generally similar construction to that shown in the saidCummings patent. It involves a carriage or bed plate 2 mounted to have alongitudinal movement toward and from the bag-filling and othermechanisms of the machine, and to secure this movement it is shown assup ported by the two links 3 and 4 pivoted at their lower ends at 5 and6, respectively, to the frame of the machine. The link 4 is prolongedabove its pivotal connection to the bed plate 2 and provided with aroller 7 entering the groove 8 in a cam 9 driven by suitable connectionswith the driving mechanism of the machine and securing the longitudinalmovement of the bed plate.

The bed plate 2 supports and carries the guide-box which receives andholds the stack of bags to be filled. The guide-box as shown is of askeleton form comprising a bottom plate 10 secured to the bed plate 2, aframe 11 carrying side plates 12 and end side plates 13, the latter ofwhich are provided with suitable stops, such as spring lingers 1 1,

which serve to retain the side edges of the endmost bag until it isforced past them, or

otherwise removed from the guide-box in the operation of the machine.

The follower by which the bags are pressed forward against the pins 1%may' take any suitable form and may comprise a 1 standard 15 mounted,guided, and sliding upon the bottom plate 10.

In order to press the follower forward a depending weight 16 isconnected thereto by means of a suitable flexible connector,herezontally arranged pulleys mounted upon:

the bed plate 2. The cord extends between these cord guides rearwardlyof the guide box and passes around a third cord guide 20 herein shown asa pulley which is mounted upon or carried by some fixed portion of themachine. Herein the cord guide 20 is shown as carried by a bracket 21bolted upon the standard of the machine at 22. A suitable cord guide 23,arranged in a vertical plane, serves to change the run of the cord fromthe horizontal to the vertical. The cord is shown as attached to thefollower at 24-. It will now be seen that when the guide-box is movedforwardly by the action of the cam 9 the distance between the cord guide20 and the pair of cord guides 18 and.l9 will be lengthened, and theweight 16 will be raised twice this distance. The result is that uponthe forward movement of the guide-box the inertia of the weight has tobe overcome, and the weight lifted through a distance equal to twice themove.- ment of the carriage, thus at once not only maintaining butactually and; materially increasing the pressure of the follower uponthe stack of bags at the very time when it is most necessary. Theinvention, therefore, prevents any diminution of the pressure of thefollower, maintains all the normal pressure, and even materiallyincreases the pressure at the required time.

The bags in the guidebox are, therefore,

held firmly up against the pins and pressed 1n t0 positlon for thehag-filling mechanism with accuracy and posltiveness. Moreover,

upon the retraction of the guide-box the pressure of the weight upon thefollow-er is momentarily released or diminished, thus enabling the moreready disengagement of the bag from the discharge end of the guide-box.The same general result is secured in the type of machine shown in thepatent to Rulison, and in connection with which the invention isillustrated in Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive. the bag-presenting mechanismcomprises the same generally horizontallyarranged guide-box of a more orless skeleton form in which bags are placed vertically and in, whichthey are forced toward the open or discharge end by a follower. In thismachine the bodily movement of the guide-box with respect to the frameis a swinging movement and in a more or less vertical direction.

In the machine shown in Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive, ,a portion of the frameof the bagfilling machine is shown at 100 and at 300, ,and it isunnecessary to show any of the details of the hagfilling and othermechanisms of the machine not specifically involved herein. Thesemechanisms may be of any suitable type such, for example, as shown inthe said Rulison patent.

The bag-presenting mechanism by which the stack of bags is presented soas to place the endmost bag of the stack in position to be filledthrough the funnel 32 involves the support 65, the curved bottom plate71, and the curved side plate .67 pivoted at 60.0. This bag-presentingmechanism is supported upon and carried by the lever 60 fulcrumed on theframe 1 at 601 and counter balanced by the weight .61. The lever 60 isoperated from the .cam 81 by means of the intermediate connections,including the lever 87 and the lever .88, so that the bag.- presentingmechanism is moved in a vertical plane back and forth with respect tothe frame.

The follower, by which the bags are pressed forward against theretaining plate 74 at the discharge end of the guide-box, comprises theplunger 75 provided with a spring arm 76 hearing against the rear of thestack of bags and mounted on the side plates 67 and 80 1 so that thefollower presses against the bags moving with the side plate 67 aboutthe pivot 600.

In order to press the follower forward and secure the advantages of thisinvention, a depending weight 80 is connected thereto by means of asuitable flexible connector, herein, for convenience, referred to as acord 800. A cord guide 803 is mounted on a fixed portion of the frame,as 300, beneath the follower. A cord guide 802 is mounted on the movablelever .60, carrying the guidebox, and deflecting cord guides, such ascord guide 801, are provided by which the cord is carried to someportion of the machine from which the weight 8.0 may be hung withoutinterference. It will now be seen that when the guide-box is movedupwardly by swinging the forward end of the lever 60 upwardly throughthe operation of the cam 81 that the distance between In machines ofthis typev the cord guide 802 and 803 will be lengthened and the weight80 will be raised twice this distance. The same results are, therefore,secured as in the previous construction described.

Upon the upward movement of the guidebox the inertia of the weight hasto be overcome and the weight lifted a distance equal to twice themovement of the carriage, thus at once not only maintaining but actuallyand materially increasing the pressure of the follower upon the stack ofbags at the very time when it is most necessary. Upon the commencementof the downward move ment of the forward end of the lever 60 thepressure upon the follower is momentarily released or diminished,allowing the more ready discharge of the bag.

Means may be provided for adjusting the cord guides upon the movablesupport for the guide-box so as to vary the extent of the movement ofthe weight upon the movement of the guide-box and thus adjust the effectof the weight upon the follower in the construction shown in Figs. 3 to6 inclusive. Such an adjustment has been illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6,wherein the pivot 805 for the cord guide 802 is shown as a set screwpassing into a nut 806, held in a vertical slot 808 opening in the slit807 in the lever 60. The end of the set screw abuts against the wall ofthe slot so that the set screw can be adjusted at any point toward orfrom the fulcrum 601, thus varying the distance the weight 80 is raisedand lowered upon the movement of the lever 60.

Having fully described my invent-ion what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a guide-box movablymounted on said frame and means for reciprocating it thereon, a followercarried by and movable forward to and backward from the discharge end ofthe guide-box, means for pressing the follower forward with respect tothe guide box, and means for increasing the said forward pressure of thefollower upon the movement of the guide-box in one direction on theframe.

2. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a guide-box andmeans for reciprocating it on said frame, a follower carried by andmovable forward to and backward from the discharge end of the guide-box,means for pressing the follower forward with respect to the guide box,and means for momentarily releasing or diminishing the said forwardpressure upon the retraction of the guide-box with respect to the frame.

3. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a guide-box andmeans for reciprocating it on said frame, a follower carried by andmovable forward to and backward from the discharge end of the guide-box,means for pressing the follower forward with respect to the guide box,and means for preventing diminution of the said forward pressure of thefollower upon the forward movement of the guide-box.

4. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a guide-box andmeans for reciprocating it on said frame, a follower carried by andmovable forward to and backward from the discharge end of the guide-box,a weight connected to said follower to force it forwardly with respectto the guide box, and means for causing the follower to lift the weightupon the movement of the guide-box in one direction on the frame therebyincreasing the said forward pressure of the follower.

5. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a guide-box mountedto reciprocate longitudinally with respect to said frame, a followercarried by and sliding longitudinally of said guide-box, means forpressing the follower forwardly in and with respect to the guide-box,and means for increasing the said forward pressure of the follower uponthe forward movement of the guide-box.

6. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a guide-box mountedto reciprocate longitudinally with respect to said frame, a followercarried by and sliding longitudinally of said guide-box, a weightconnected to said follower to force it forwardly in and with respect tothe guidebox, and means for causing the follower to lift the weight uponthe forward movement of the guide-box thereby increasing the saidforward pressure of the follower.

7. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a guide-box movablymounted on said frame, a follower carried by and movable forward to andbackward from the discharge end of the guide-box, a cord guide supportedto move with the guide-box, a second cord guide supported on the frame,a depending weight and a cord extending therefrom to the follower, thesaid cord passing around the two cord guides whereby when the guideboxis moved in one direction on the frame the weight is raised and thepressure of the follower not only maintained but increased, and wherebyupon the opposite movement of the guide-box the pressure on the followeris momentarily released or diminished.

8. In a machine of the character clescribed, a frame, a guide-boxmounted to move longitudinally with respect to said frame, a followercarried by and sliding longitudinally of said guide-box, a pair of cordguides supported to move with the guide-box, a cord guide in the rear ofsaid pair of cord guides and supported from the frame, a dependingweight, a cord extend- In testimony whereof, I have signed my ingtherefrom to the follower, the said cord name to this specific-anon 1nthe presence of between sald pair of cord guides extending twosubscrlblng witnesses.

around the third cord guide whereby when BENJAMIN F. BROWN. 5 theguide-box is moved forwardly the Witnesses:

weight is raised and the pressure of the fol- FRANK BARTER,

lower not only maintained but increased. HARRISON BAILEY Copies of thispatent may be obtainedfor five cents each, by addressing theCommissioner of latents, Washington, D. G.

